


Your Training Has Begun

by katanrock



Series: Meeting Places (Back Here Again) [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Cal is big sad but that's okay, Cal really be kicking ass over here, Cal's gonna be so tired, Fluff, Gen, Stan Ahsoka, and having his ass kicked, got some 212th OCs because there aren't enough of them, how similar are blasters to guns, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:48:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23632621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katanrock/pseuds/katanrock
Summary: Despite Cal's prowess with a lightsaber, Cal still has a lot to learn. Or, Cal trains.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & Cal Kestis, Cal Kestis & Ahsoka Tano, Cal Kestis & Boil (Star Wars), Cal Kestis & Waxer (Star Wars), Obi-Wan Kenobi & Cal Kestis
Series: Meeting Places (Back Here Again) [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639870
Comments: 15
Kudos: 201





	1. Blaster Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How much do you know about blasters?” 
> 
> Cal gingerly held the small blaster pistol in his hand, keeping it pointed to the ground and far from his body. It was the kind Rex loved to use, not the ones most troopers had, the DC-15. Though, Cal was pretty sure that if this went on long enough that he would have a chance to shoot one of them.
> 
> “Not much.” He said weakly.
> 
> Or, Cal learns how to shoot a blaster

“How much do you know about blasters?” 

Cal gingerly held the small blaster pistol in his hand, keeping it pointed to the ground and far from his body. It was the kind Rex loved to use, not the ones most troopers had, the DC-15. Though, Cal was pretty sure that if this went on long enough that he would have a chance to shoot one of them.

“Not much.” He said weakly. Waxer smiled, taking the pistol away. 

“This right here is the slide.” Waxer points at the top of the pistol. “This holds the upper part of the mechanism. You can mechanically load here and will recoil with each shot.” He moves to the bottom of the handgrip. “This is where you load more magazines. This,” he points at a small button on the handgrip, “is where you release it to reload.”

He points at two small tips coming off the slide. “Forward and rear sight. Helps with aim. Slide lock.” He points at a small switch. “It’ll lock when you run out of ammo.” 

Waxer raised the blaster, aiming down the shooting range. He turned the safety off, checked for anyone in the range, then shot. The sound of a blaster going off twice filled the nearly empty room. Cal tensed, unused to being so close to blaster-fire. 

The dummy had two scorch marks where Waxer shot. One on the chest, one in the middle of the forehead. Suddenly, Cal felt much more nervous than he was a couple minutes ago.

Waxer smiled at Cal, handing the gun back to him. He fumbled, taking the unfamiliar weight into his hands. He stared at Waxer. He stared back. Cal sighed before raising his arms into what he thought was a shooting position. Cal could hear his Master’s voice in his head.  _ I find blasters to be quite uncivilized _ . Cal could see the veiled disgust his Master had whenever he held a blaster, even if he was quite proficient with one.

Immediately, Waxer began to move. He grabbed his arms, moving his left arm down and into an angle. He grabbed his right arm, making sure his elbow wasn’t locked. He spread his legs into a wider stance. 

“Blasters still have recoil, even if we aren’t using old metal bullets anymore.” The man winked at Cal. Cal tried to smile back, but his nerves made it seem more like a grimace. Waxer patted his shoulder before stepping to the side.

“Now,” Waxer grabbed a second pistol. “There are three steps when it comes to shooting: Front sight focus. Trigger control, and following through.” He raises his arms up into position. “Focus on the front sight, not the target. Keep your finger on the trigger controlled.” He shoots again. The blast hit the target. “Then follow through. Bring your blaster back to your target.” 

Waxer grins at Cal. “Now, it’s your turn.” Cal gulps loudly, shaking his limbs out and re-positioning himself. 

Cal stares down the barrel, finding his target. He breathes.  _ In, out _ . His finger gently squeezes the trigger. 

_ BAM!  _

The blaster shoots one bolt. The recoil was minimal, but Cal still jolted at it. The blue bolt flew down the range, hitting the side of the wall. Nowhere near the actual dummy. Cal lowered his gun to stare at his shot. His first one. 

“Follow through, Cal.” Waxer sing-songed. Cal jolted out of his reverie, realizing that he lowered his gun immediately, exactly what Waxer told him not to do. 

“Uh, right. Sorry.” Cal mumbled. Waxer came up to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s your first day shooting a blaster. You got nothing to be sorry about.” Waxer smiled winningly at him. “You’ll learn.”

Cal smiled weakly back, but knew that his nervousness and anxiety about shooting was leaking through both his face and his shields.

“Try again.” 

The lesson fell into a routine. Cal would shoot, then Waxer would give Cal tips. Eventually, Cal’s shots became more precise. Less wall marks and more target hits. The anxiety that once pooled in his stomach slowly faded away. 

The slide lock clicked right as Cal shot the last charge. The bolt flew through the air, landing right on the crotch of the dummy. Waxer snorted, covering his face. Cal’s eyes flew wide, his mouth opened into a gape. 

“Nice shot.” Waxer wheezed out. Cal’s face was absolutely priceless, like he never thought that shooting someone’s dick was possible. A snicker resonated from behind the duo. 

Waxer smiled at his partner-in-crime. Cal blushed as Boil came up to the two.

“Am I allowed to do that on the battlefield?” The kid asked. Waxer choked on air, leaving Boil to smack his back. 

“I mean, clankers don’t really have much down there, if you know what I mean.” Boil raised an eyebrow suggestively at Cal, who was still suffering from an intense blush. “But I don’t see why not on flesh enemies. Unless that enemy is me, which I hope you don’t.” The last part was tagged on, the older man realizing the implications of getting shot in the balls, even if the bolt is set on stun. 

Cal narrowed his eyes. He knew kicking people in the crotch was effective. So why not shoot them in the balls? 

Waxer coughed, bringing Cal out of thinking any further on his happy accident. “Let’s get you more ammo.” Effectively distracted, Cal released the empty charge canister, and reloaded the blaster. 

Boil smirked. “Have you tried a DC-15 blaster yet?” Waxer gave the man a reproaching look. Boil ignored it for looking at Cal.

“Uh, no?” Cal answered nervously. He was just getting the hang of the handgun. He didn’t think he would get to the big guns until after a couple more lessons.

“Uh, let’s leave it for another day, how about it?” Waxer said, chuckling nervously, elbowing Boil hard in the stomach. The other man grunted. 

“What? C’mon! Let Cal have some fun! We’ll set it to stun.”

“Yeah!” Cal felt confidence seep into his body; confidence that wasn’t there a couple minutes before. Boil’s confidence in Cal transferred over to the boy himself. Sure, he was probably not ready for the DC-15, but Cal decided today that caution was for the weak. “Don’t worry, Waxer. I’ll be careful. Besides, if we keep it on stun, the worst thing that’ll happen is someone is knocked unconscious!” 

Waxer, being stared down by the other two, caved. “Fine. Give me the hand-blaster. I’ll put these away and bring out the DC. Stay here, got it?” 

“Yes, lieutenant.” Cal drawled out, handing the gun over and lazily saluting the man. Waxer rolled his eyes at him, heading for the weapons room.

Waxer didn’t take long, hefting the large blaster in his hand gracefully. As he made his way towards Cal, he handed the rifle off to Cal. 

For some reason, Cal thought the rifle would be much lighter. Maybe he was so used to seeing everyone carry one around that he forgot that they were trained to carry them around as much as Cal was taught to wield a lightsaber.

Cal grunted, taking the full weight of the blaster, and almost fell to the ground. Boil, who was off to the side, snorted for what seemed like the umpteenth time as Cal dragged the gun back into his arms. He reached out into the Force, allowing it to give him strength. Cal shifted, holding the rifle like he had seen every other trooper do. 

As Cal settled into familiarizing himself with the new weight, Waxer walked over, checking that the blaster was set on stun. He pointed at the magazine holder. “Here’s where your ammo is. Most mechanics are the same for the DC-15 as is with the pistol.” He moves onto adjusting Cal’s grip and stance.

“There. Now, like I said before, focus on the front sight, control your trigger, and follow through.” He patted Cal’s shoulder, stepping out of the way. “Have at it.”

Cal breathed deeply and closed his eyes. The Force, already gathered to help him with the weight of the blaster, soothed his nerves. He opened his eyes, settling onto the target in front of him. 

_ To the right _ . The Force flowed through his muscles, guiding his arms into position. 

_ Now. _ Cal pulled the trigger and a large blue, circular stun bolt sped through the air, hitting the target right in the center of its head. 

Someone whooped behind Cal, and both Waxer and Boil patted him on the back as Cal brought the rifle down. A wash of cold travelled down Cal’s back, and he couldn’t help but grin at the two clones’ triumphant calls. His first headshot! 

“What’s all the screaming about?” Cal whipped around and found Cody, stripped of armor, lazily walking towards the three. 

“Cal got his first headshot, and on a DC-15!” Cody grinned at the two clones, walking the rest of the way over to the group. He reached his hand out and ruffled Cal’s hair. He grumbled, swatting Cody’s hand away and adjusting the buzzed hair-which didn’t need any adjusting. Cody’s hand travelled down, pulling at Call’s short braid, teasing the boy.

“Hey, stop it!” Cody laughed at Cal, whose wide grin turned into a pout, lightly glaring at the Commander. 

“Well, sir,” The formal title for Cal felt out of place, but Cody’s voice was laced with softness. “We’ll make a trooper out of you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! Quarantine has left me trying to dole out my motivation over multiple activities, which means that I won't be writing as much as usual. I've also lost some of my momentum for this series. I'll still be writing, but if updates slow down, that's why.
> 
> After the last story, I decided that I would write some happier stories. I've got some small one-shots that'll be part of this story, which I see as a sort of interlude. This story will be updated whenever I write the next chapter. It'll be like the small scenes between the large battles and mostly happy scenes. Also, I'm a sucker for Codywan, so expect to see some of that as well. 
> 
> Like I said, my motivation for this series has waned, but I'll definitely still be writing! If you want to see what else I'm doing, I have an art instagram account @katanrocksketches, if you want to see me being more active online. Anywho, comment, leave kudos, whatever! I'll see you guys soon!


	2. Unconventional Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re training with us today.” 
> 
> Oh no. Cal realized what that glint was. Mischief. But like Cal said, he didn’t have any other training, and Cody wasn’t going to buy any excuses Cal made up. The man already dealt with that from his own men. Cal wasn’t going to be an exception to the man’s imposing will. “When do we start?” There was no use fighting.
> 
> Cody’s lips jutted just a little. He was satisfied. “Meet in the training room at 0800.” That gave Cal thirty minutes. Cal nodded, and Cody saluted, before making his way out of the refectory. Cal sighed.
> 
> So much for a quiet, relaxing day.

“It’s time for training, sir.” Cal looked up from his food to find Cody standing right next to him.

“Wha’?” Cal mumbled, face stuffed with food. The stuff was bland, but Cal was hungry. He swallowed. “Master Obi-Wan doesn’t have anything planned today.” It was true. Cal hoped to use it to have some peace for himself.

“I never said it was training from the General.” something glinted in Cody’s eyes that Cal had never seen before. He squinted at his Commander warily. “You’re training with us today.” 

_Oh no._ Cal realized what that glint was. Mischief. It was something that Cal never thought the stoic Commander would ever be. But here, Cal could see the underlying current of amusement Cody felt at the expense of his Jedi Commander. Cal scrambled, hoping that maybe, he could find a way to avoid Cody’s attempt at torturing him. But like he said just a minute ago, he didn’t have any other training, and Cody wasn’t going to buy any excuses Cal made up. The man already dealt with that from his own men. Cal wasn’t going to be an exception to the man’s imposing will. “When do we start?” There was no use fighting.

Cody’s lips jutted just a little. He was satisfied. “Meet in the training room at 0800.” That gave Cal thirty minutes. Cal nodded, and Cody saluted, before making his way out of the refectory. Cal sighed.

_So much for a quiet, relaxing day._

* * *

Cal shouldn’t have been surprised to see a gaggle of troopers in golden armor waiting as he walked in.

Cody stood in the middle of the group with Wooley, Boil, and Waxer also near the Commander. As usual, Waxer and Boil stood side by side, as if joined by the hip. Waxer seemed to be telling a riveting story, waving his hands as Cody and Wooley listened in curiosity.

Near the group Cal just saw, he took in the three other troopers; Locke, Machete, and Smith. He didn’t see the Helio Squad much. The first held himself stiffly, his red markings on his pauldrons and the bags under his eyes told Cal that Locke most likely just came from a shift in the medbay. Next to him, Machete stood with the confidence of the ARC trooper that he was, his kama swishing at his knees. Smith merely smiled, standing between his two other batchmates in case any squabbles broke out.

Wooley spotted Cal first, waving happily at him. The rest followed suit, beckoning the Jedi Padawan over with loud cheers. Cal smiled at the group, but moved slowly, wary of what kind of ‘training’ Cody had in mind.

Cal decided to forgo beating around the bush. “So, what kind of training’s happening?”

The group immediately deferred the highest ranking clone in the room (and GAR). Cody straightened, falling into his usual stoic self. 

“General Kenobi has told me that a dual bladed lightsaber is especially useful in warding off multiple assailants.” Cal reached for his lightsaber, which was securely clipped to his belt. Cal nodded in agreement with Cody. “Well, I decided that we should help you with becoming proficient with that skill.” Cal nodded at the idea. He rarely had chances to practice his dual bladed skills, mostly learning in the middle of a battle where swarms of droids were his enemy. It wasn’t an ideal place to build his skills.

“Alright.” Cal assented. “So, what’s the drill?” Cal knew that Cody’s drills were brutal, and that the clones had their own training modules back on Kamino. Cal wondered if the exercise he was doing today was going to be like either of those.

Cody walked to one side of the training room, grabbing a belt. Secured to it were six small strips of yellow fabric. He handed it over to Cal. 

“Your job is to protect these pieces of fabric.” Cody gestured to the rest of the group. “Their objective is to try and remove as many as possible from your belt.” Cody waved his hands at a timer resting on one of the nearby tables. “And it’ll be timed. Ten minutes to remove as many pieces of fabric as possible.” 

Cal tilted his head. The drill, more like a game, was simple enough. He studied each trooper, trying to remember each one’s skills and deficiencies. “Alright.” Cal grabbed the belt from Cody, securing it above his own utility belt, then pulling his lightsaber out. 

Before Cal could power it on, Cody quickly stopped him. “How about we just go with a staff today.” Cal looked at the other troopers, noticing their lack of weapons. 

_Leveling out the playing field a little_ , he thought. _Fair enough_.

Cal nodded his head. “Alright.” He placed his saber on the table where the timer sat, before picking up a wooden staff that would serve as his mock lightsaber.

Cody moved to the timer, while the other six spread out across the room. Cal quickly put himself near a wall, where he could see each person clearly. He held the staff out, before breathing in, falling into his defensive position.

Cody began the countdown.

“Three, two, one, begin!”

Almost immediately, the room sprung into action.

Cal dodged as Boil ran towards him, then rolled away from a punch by Waxer. His position at the wall quickly began to become hard to hold. Quickly, Cal blocked the kick coming from Machete with his staff, slamming Locke in the arm, both trying to corner him. He broke free from the four men closing in on him to see Smith dashing behind him, arm stretched out. Cal pivoted, swinging his staff behind his back, smacking the other in the hand. He hissed, before retracting. 

Cal crouched, heaving. He took stock of everyone in front of him. Everyone was there, except for…

Wooley pounced from his left, and the two went crashing to the ground. Cal quickly pushed the man off of him, sweeping his staff to stop any of the others from coming close. He gasped as a hand grasped his shoulder, pulling him back. He pitched backward, losing both focus and balance as Wooley darted away from his flailing body. A tug came from his waist, and Wooley scrambled back, holding a yellow cloth triumphantly in his hand. He whooped, tying the fabric to his wrist.

Cal righted himself, sighing at the sight of the yellow fabric. He furrowed his brows, setting his stance back into a defensive pose as the rest of the ‘enemy’ pounced forward. He allowed Wooley to get the upper hand while he was distracted by the other five. This time, he would make sure to not leave such a big opening. 

The rest of the group joined, trying to tackle Cal. He leapt, jumping over the incoming stampede, landing softly as the six troopers knocked each other over. He quickly knocked Smith over, sweeping the other off his feet with a swipe of his staff. Locke and Boil tried to stop him in a pincer move, but Cal swung his staff around in a figure eight form while spinning, keeping the two from coming in. He jabbed his elbow into Machete’s stomach, then knocked a hand away from his waist. 

At this point, the six finally conjoined into a circle surrounding Cal. He grunted as the volley of attacks increased. It became harder to keep track of everyone, and Cal flourished his staff around his body, hoping it would impede anyone from nearing. 

From the side, a hand shot forward, grasping a piece of fabric before Cal could stop it. With a tug it came loose into Machete’s hand. Cal, whose attention was on Machete, quickly found another hand shooting out to snatch a piece. Again, Cal met with failure as Waxer plucked another yellow fabric off his belt.

Cal cursed. He needed a way out of this enclosed circle. If not, he definitely won’t last.

When Smith came in for a punch, Cal saw his opening. Quickly, he grabbed Smith’s arm, spinning with the other’s forward momentum. Smith tumbled forward, knocking his two batchmates out with a grunt. Cal then knocked Wooley down with a swift hit of his staff onto the area between the shoulder and head. As Boil and Waxer attempted one last time to snatch a piece of fabric, Cal twisted his body up into a backflip, grabbing Boil by the shoulder, bringing the man down onto his back, then spinning and slamming his staff right into Waxer’s stomach. He fell, gagging.

“Time!” Cody called from the sidelines. Cal huffed out a breath, falling down onto his back, arms and legs spread wide. He closed his eyes, feeling the blood pump through his brain with the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. 

“You did very well, Cal.” Cody squinted up at the clone Commander, wiping any sweat from entering his tired eyes. He stood with his arms on his hips, his face gone soft. Cal could hear the grunts of the other troopers as they stumbled to their feet.

“Thanks.” Cal gasped out. He forced his body into a sitting position, taking the bottle of water handed to him with a smile. “You guys did pretty well, yourself.” 

Boil rubbed his back, grumbling. “Yeah, thanks.” He slumped into his sitting position. “I’m gonna have a bruise for weeks!” Cal winced. He may have gone a little overboard with some of his attacks.

“Sorry.” 

Boil waved his hand. “Nah, it’s fine.” He smirked. “I’ll take the beating if it means you won’t be getting soft.” 

The rest of the group huddled in, gripping parts of their body where Cal hit them. They all knew that they had bruises.

Cal sipped his water, smiling to himself. Sure, he felt a little guilty. But it still felt good to know that he could take them all on. 

As each person sat down, a bottle was tossed to them. Of course, the three troopers who successfully took a piece off of Cal’s belt found it the perfect time to start boasting.

With a roar, the rest joined in vehemently, arguing that, of course they could’ve nagged one. They were just preoccupied, that Wooley, Machete, or Waxer got lucky. Cal let the group bicker, raising an eyebrow at Cody, who gave him a rare smile. 

It might not have been the relaxing day that he’d wanted. But the camaraderie he felt between the seven troopers in the room was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm back, and this time I didn't leave for over a month!
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this! It was super fun, and I had a blast figuring out how to write a fight scene with more than just two people. Maybe one day I'll have Cody join in as well ;) I don't write him enough.
> 
> Also, Locke, Smith, and Machete are my OCs! I only featured 3 out of the 5 from Helio Squad because I think having all of them would've crowded the fight and made it really hard to follow. If you want to see what they look like, you can check my instagram @katanrocksketches, or if you guys want, I'll post it on here!
> 
> Anywho, leave kudos, comment, whatever! I'll see you guys next time.


	3. Partner Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite being close in age, Cal could already tell that the other Padawan was leagues above him in lightsaber combat. Her movements were more fluid, and she easily held herself against her Master for a longer period of time.
> 
> Or, Cal and Ahsoka spend some bonding time together

“Watch your left side, Padawan.” Obi-Wan stated, smacking Cal in the stomach. He hissed at the sting, shifting his arms so that his left side was more protected. 

Cal grumbled, but continued sparring. “You and your oh-so-impenetrable-defense makes it hard to stay focused for long!”

Obi-Wan merely smiled. “Well, hopefully you’ll build more stamina, or think more cleverly. Either way, it’s a win-win.” Cal glared at his Master. Not helping.

He barrel rolled, bringing his blue blade down onto his Master. But the older man easily blocked, sweeping Cal’s blade down his side, lightly smacking Cal in the chest, pushing him back. Cal flipped back, landing into a crouch. 

The two went still, waiting for the other to attack. Impatient, Cal threw himself back in, going for more measured attacks at the head and torso. As usual, Obi-Wan’s mastery of Soresu meant that his defense was impenetrable. Quickly, Cal dropped onto one hand, kicking his Master’s arm. Pivoting in his handstand, he hit his Master in the knee with his green blade, forcing the man down onto a knee with a grunt. Getting back onto his feet, he brought his saber down onto Obi-Wan. 

He gritted his teeth, baring down with all of his strength. If he could force his Master down, he could win!

Unfortunately, today wasn’t his lucky day. His Master released his strength holding Cal back, falling onto his back. Caught off guard, Cal pitched forward. His Master used this to his advantage, grabbing hold of his shoulder and rocking them back. As Cal fell onto the ground, Obi-Wan rocked up on top of Cal. He brought his lightsaber to Cal’s throat. Sighing, Cal slapped the ground two times, ending the spar.

“Solah.” Cal grunted, patting the ground.

With ease, Obi-Wan shut off his saber, holding out a hand for Cal to take.

“You did well, Padawan.” Obi-Wan clapped Cal on the shoulder as he dragged him to the benches on the side of the training room. Unlike other days, there weren’t many men milling about, watching him spar with his Master. Secretly, Cal felt relieved. He hated when others watched him fight. 

“Thanks, Master.” Cal grumbled. He snatched his water bottle, drinking with huge gulps. Gasping, he wiped his mouth, falling into the bench. “But I still can’t hold up against you.” How was he supposed to lead and fight if he could barely last against his Master?

Obi-Wan joined him with his own water bottle. 

“No, you can’t.” Obi-Wan agreed. “But you are still learning. And I am proud of the progress you’ve made.” He smirked at Cal. “You’ve lasted more than five minutes.” 

Cal huffed out a sarcastic laugh. “Is that because I got better, or because you’re going easy on me?” Obi-Wan said nothing in return, merely giving his diplomatic smile, returning to his water. 

From the other side, Cal could see Anakin and Ahsoka in the middle of their own spar. Cal watched in wonder at the two. Anakin’s use of Form V was a stark change from Obi-Wan’s strong defense. He could see the baseline of Soresu; but it’s primary use as an offensive form contrasted sharply from it’s originator. 

Ahsoka, too, used Form V. But her twin lightsabers meant she had to adapt it to Jar’kai. Cal watched as Ahsoka swiped her shoto at Anakin, followed quickly with her other lightsaber. The striking of blue and green left white spots in Cal’s eyes. Anakin pushed out, dislodging their blades. Ahsoka used the backwards momentum to go into a back flip, before reengaging her Master. 

The continuous flow of attack, parry, and counterattack went on for a few more minutes, before Anakin found a weakness in Ahsoka’s footwork. Taking the opportunity, he forced Ahsoka off-balance with a simple nudge on her leg. From there, the spar ended quickly, with Ahsoka on the floor and Anakin looming over her, lightsaber pointed at her throat. She fixed her gaze onto her Master, before groaning, patting the ground two times. 

“Solah.” 

Despite being close in age, Cal could already tell that the other Padawan was leagues above him in lightsaber combat. Her movements were more fluid, and she easily held herself against her Master for a longer period of time. Cal couldn’t help but feel a little insecure surrounded by such talented combatants.

Anakin and Ahsoka made their way over to Cal and Obi-Wan. As they neared, Cal casually threw their water bottle to them. The two caught them easily, plopping down with Anakin next to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka next to Cal.

“You have improved quite a lot, Ahsoka.” Obi-Wan approved. Ahsoka smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

“Thanks, Master Kenobi.” She bumped Cal’s shoulder, giving him a smile. “You have as well.” 

Cal grimaced. “Not as much as you. I still got a long way to go before I can hold myself against any of you guys.” 

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. “Don’t say that! You’ve grown a lot since last year. I’d know,” She waved her hand. “After all, we’ve been working a lot since you joined us.” 

“She is right, Padawan.” Obi-Wan tugged lightly on Cal’s braid. He grunted, slapping his Master’s hand away, like a petulant child. “Don’t compare yourself to others. You have improved not only in lightsaber combat, but in your Force abilities as well.” Cal just shrugged, not sure what to say. Don’t get him wrong. He  _ has _ improved. But compared to Ahsoka and Val, Cal hasn’t been improving quite as fast.

“I have an idea.” Anakin piped up. It was unusual for the man to be as quiet as he had been for this whole conversation. Turns out, he was scheming. “What if both of you trained together? We’ll be on the  _ Resolute _ for a bit. Maybe you two will learn more from each other than from us.” 

Obi-Wan hummed, stroking his beard. “That  _ is _ a good idea.” He smiled. “It’d do you two good. You’ll be working together much more often now that you’re both older.” 

A small bit of anxiety grew in his stomach, but he quickly squashed it down. This was  _ Ahsoka _ . They were friends. He’d be fine.

“That works for me.” Cal agreed. He turned to Ahsoka, a sharp smile on her face.

“Definitely! Start tomorrow?” 

Cal smirked back. “Get ready to be sore.” His lingering insecurity was temporarily locked away, excitement replacing it for now. He rarely got to work with Ahsoka. If he trained like her, maybe he’ll start to improve as fast as the other girl did.

  
  


Ahsoka was stretching when Cal arrived.

“Hey!” She waved from her bent position. She shook her arms out, plopping onto the floor and began stretching her legs. Cal joined her and the two warmed up in silence. Before long, the two sprang up from their sitting position. 

“So, how do you wanna do this?” Ahsoka asked. She pulled her sabers out, the left on in its usual reverse grip. Cal shrugged.

“Actually, I was thinking you taught me a little bit of your reverse grip stuff.” Cal pulled out his saber as well. “The first time I met you, you were working with Val.” Cal smiled at that. He missed his friends.

“Oh yeah! And you said you were struggling with piloting.” Ashoka grinned.

Cal rolled my eyes. “Obviously, I got better.” 

“Nothing like flying next to Anakin as practice.” Ahsoka chuckled. She nodded her head at Cal’s request. “Alright. Let’s start.”

“So,” she put away her shoto, bringing her right arm up. “The big thing about the reverse grip is the flow. It’s not a great grip for one-to-one. But it’s great for deflecting blaster bolts.” She began moving her saber back and forth. Cal mimicked her movements, carefully watching the blade.

“Hey, lead with your wrist.” She got up from her bent stance, grabbing hold of Cal’s hand. She slowly began moving his wrist, and his arm followed. Cal scrunched his eyebrows in concentration.

“I think I got it better. Thanks.” Ahsoka let go of his hand, and he slowly moved the saber on his own, noting the ease of his movements. 

“No problem.” Ahsoka smiled. She bent back down. Cal followed. 

For about an hour, Ahsoka led Cal through the basics, and then onto the katas. After the hour, the two sat down. Cal puffed out a breath as he grabbed a drink.

“You’re doing great already! It’s like you’re a natural.” Ahsoka nudged his shoulder. Cal smiled shyly.

“Yeah?” 

Ahsoka nodded her head in conviction. “Yes, definitely.” She looked at his face, suddenly worried. “What’s wrong?” 

Cal fidgeted with the water bottle. “It’s just- you’re so talented. I’ve never been, you know, that great at all the fighting. But, I just-”

“You’re doing amazing, though!” Ahsoka blurted out. She turned Cal towards her. “Sure, I’ve gotten better at fighting, but you’ve gotten better at using the Force, and piloting, and leading! Your engineering skills have even gotten better! There’s so much more to us than just our ability to use our lightsabers.” She stared into Cal’s eyes so intensely that Cal almost looked away. But he didn’t. He could see her conviction and honesty. 

“You think so?” Cal mumbled. He knew Jedi were more than their lightsabers, despite the mantra that it was their life. But during war, it seemed like that’s all that mattered.

“I know so.” Cal looked up at her, hesitating, before pulling her into a hug. 

Cal wondered how Ahsoka stayed so convicted, so sure of her path. It was astounding to see, and inspiring.

He whispered. “Thanks.” Ahsoka patted him on the back, before releasing him.

“Of course.” She gestured to the room. “Now, what do you say we spar a bit, to get you used to the reverse grip?” 

Cal grinned. “Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! 
> 
> It's been, uh, about 5 months? Since I last posted? That sounds about right, heh... Sorry I've been gone for so long. I've been pretty unmotivated, and I also started college. I'm about a month in, and life's been pretty hectic. I haven't really had time to do much of anything outside of schoolwork. I think this is the last chapter in this little side story, though! Which is nice haha.
> 
> I've been slowly getting motivation But I have to say. I don't know when I'll get to all the Clone Wars arcs. I've been more inspired to write about Cal post-Order 66. So that's probably what I'll do, starting with how he survives. I've also realized that I've been sticking super close to canon, and I want to branch out a little, which means more time prepping a storyline before jumping straight into something. Maybe I'll come back later, but for now, I think I'm going to start tackling JFO! 
> 
> Anyways, leave kudos, comments, whatever! I'll see you guys (probably not, but I'll hope) soon!!


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